A website screenshot shared on Facebook falsely claimed that the World Health Organization (WHO) said at a press conference in January 2021 that they advise people without coronavirus symptoms not to wear face masks.
The screenshot was taken from a WordPress blog that posted other unfounded claims (here). On January 25, an entry with the caption “WHO: you do NOT have to wear a mask” is posted on the website, claiming that the WHO has no medical reason to wear masks outside the hospital (here) does not support. The report added that the comments were made at a press conference on 22 January before being linked to the WHO video page (www.who.int).
“In an expressive acknowledgment on January 22, 2021, the World Health Organization states that there is no scientific medical reason for any healthy person to wear a mask outside a hospital,” the report reads. “Unfortunately, our corrupt politicians and mainstream media are only telling the bad news.
‘If you do not have respiratory symptoms, such as fever, cough or runny nose, you do not need to wear a medical mask. When used alone, masks can give you a false sense of protection and can even be a source of infection if not used properly. ‘
It is not true. No such remark was made during the press conference on 22 January, nor does it align with the WHO leadership.
In fact, in response to a question on 22 January on the effectiveness of masks in the light of new COVID-19 variants, the WHO’s technical lead on COVID-19, Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, said that it was’ one aspect of control ‘is what helps reduce transmission in conjunction with other measures.
She said: ‘They can not be used alone, so we must emphasize it because no one solution is enough. Not masks alone, not physical distance, not hand hygiene – you’ve heard us say a lot. ‘
Kerkhove then gave guidance to those who choose to wear dust mask, adding: ‘We recommend a three-layer mask, and in our clue material itself, we have recommendations on the specifications for filtration: what type of material should be for the interior later, the middle layer and the outer layer. Not all dust masks are the same, so they need to be produced and manufactured to provide the right type of protection and resource control. ”
The WHO also filled out a web page with extensive text and video guidelines on how to increase the effectiveness of face masks (here).
VERDICT
Untrue. The WHO has not changed its advice to consider out-of-hospital masks as unnecessary – and has strengthened its position on masks as one of the many measures that together can help limit the transmission of COVID-19.
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